Published by Kindred House Press
Practical nonfiction
The Assertive Communication Playbook
101+ Ready-to-Use Verbal Scripts to Resolve Conflict and Set Firm Boundaries
Scripts to practice before saying no.
Francesca Núria-Bellini offers 101+ scripts for work, family, and everyday encounters. Templates help us change the wording, and solo exercises give us a chance to rehearse.
Inside the book
What’s
in the
book
Start with a request from a boss, a relative, or a friend.
The book begins with why we freeze when someone puts us on the spot. Then come the scripts for work, family, and everyday encounters, followed by five drills and a log for keeping track of the replies we try.
Before you answer
Pause-Frame-Deliver is a short check-in before speaking. A two-part formula gives us a way to say no in two sentences.
Work, family, and friends
The 101+ scripts are arranged by situation, including a boss who piles on work and a friend who oversteps. Templates let us adapt the wording.
A chance to rehearse
There are five solo drills to try. Keep track of the replies you use with a ten-day log, and turn to the troubleshooting guide when a script falls flat.
More about the book
Rehearsing before we need a reply.
We may agree to another weekend at work or to babysit for a sister again, then think of how to say no only on the way home.
The book looks at why we struggle to speak under pressure. It suggests rehearsing a sentence before a conversation, so we have a reply to draw on.
Francesca Núria-Bellini spent eighteen years as a multilingual social worker and community mediator in remote Arctic communities, work she draws on in The Assertive Communication Playbook. She writes for people-pleasers, explaining why we freeze before moving on to scripts and practice.
Here’s what you’ll find:
- A three-second check-in called Pause-Frame-Deliver, to help you steady your voice before you answer.
- A two-sentence way to say no follows a two-part formula to keep the answer kind and clear.
- Replies to pressure cover guilt-tripping, minimizing, gaslighting, and obligation-stacking, with examples for work, family, and personal life.
- Fill-in-the-blank templates appear throughout the chapters so you can adjust the scripts to fit the situation.
- Five drills to try on your own include Mirror, Speed, Pressure, Tone, and Situation Swap.
- A ten-day log takes two minutes a day and comes with a troubleshooting guide for the times a script falls flat.
- 101+ scripts, arranged by situation, give you replies for a boss who adds to your workload, a relative who uses guilt, a coworker who takes credit, a friend who oversteps, or a bill that needs correcting.
Try one aloud. Change a word if it doesn’t sound like you, then say it again.
The scripts were tested in mediation rooms, where people needed a reply they could use that day. They’re written to be used under stress.
We like having a troubleshooting guide to turn to when we’ve tried a reply and it hasn’t gone as we’d hoped.
Choose the edition you prefer: paperback, hardcover, or Kindle.